Why This is Good

Here are some questions you should ask yourself about your characters:

-Where did they grow up? What kind of house or apartment did they live in? Did they have their own bedroom or did they have to share? What was a typical day in their childhood like?

-What kind of relationship do they have with their parents? Are their parents still married? Still alive? Do they speak to them often or only once in awhile?

-What about siblings and extended family? How many brothers and sisters do they have, and are they close? What about cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents? Are their grandparents still alive? If not, when did they die and how did this affect your hero?

-Did they have pets growing up? What kind? What were their names? How does your hero feel about animals?

-Did they suffer from any injuries as a child-broken legs, cuts needing stitches, burns, etc.? How did these injuries occur?

-Did they have any traumatic or chronic illnesses? What about surgeries? Does your hero still have his or her appendix? Tonsils? How do they feel about doctors, medicine and needles?

-What religion was your hero raised with? Do the still believe? If not, what do they believe? Why?

-Where did they go to elementary, junior high and high school? What were their experiences there?

-Did they have a lot of friends in school? What clique were they a part of? Are they still friends with anyone from their childhood?

-What was their senior quote in their yearbook? What about their picture? Do they look the same? If not what did they look like, and why has their style changed?

-What type of music did they listen to growing up? What was the first album (depending upon age-record, cassette, c.d., or iTunes download) they ever purchased? What was the first concert they ever attended?

-What TV shows impacted them as a kid? What was their favorite show? How about movies? What was the first movie they went to without their parents? Did they have a crush on any celebrity? Who? Why?

-Who was their first crush? What happened? What about their first kiss, their first date, their first time? When was the first time they fell in love? What happened?

-What childhood event, memory or moment defined them and made them feel like they had finally grown up?

-What did your hero want to be when he or she grew up? Did they follow that dream? Why or why not?

-What was their first job? What did they think about it? How much did they make? Why did they leave that job?

-Where did your hero go to college? If they didn’t go, why not? What did they do at that age instead? If they went to college, what was their major? Did it change? Did they consider other options? What was school like for them? Did they live in a dorm? A sorority or fraternity? Did they party a lot? Did they get good grades? Sleep around? Drink too much?

-Has your hero ever had a pregnancy scare? What happened? How do they feel about abortion or adoption? How do they feel about parenting in general?

What is your hero’s daily routine (note: you are NEVER going to put all the boring details in your script, right? See my post of getting in late and leaving early)? What time do they wake up? What does their alarm clock sound like? Do they take long showers? Eat breakfast? Drink coffee? Read the paper or rush to work? Do they take a long time primping or picking out their clothes?

-What is their home like? How is it decorated? Is it messy or neat?

-Do they have a pet? If so how did they get it, and why did they choose it and name it what they did? If not, why? Do they want one? Do they particularly not want one? Why?

-What is your hero’s favorite color?

-Favorite ice cream?

-Favorite flower?

-Favorite varietal of wine? Or if they aren’t into wine, favorite beer, mixed drink, or do they not drink?

-What outfit does your hero wear that makes them feel comfortable? What about sexy? What would they wear to impress on a first date? How about an interview? A party? A work party?

-Describe an object that has special meaning to your hero-the one thing they would save in the event of a fire. What is it? Jewelry? A photograph? A childhood toy? Why is it so special to them?

-What numbers are on your hero’s speed dial? Who would they call first if they lost their job? Broke up with someone? Got in a car accident? Got a speeding ticket? Got lost?

-Where has your hero travelled? Where do they want to travel? Are they an adventurous, outdoorsy traveler, or do they prefer to stay in posh hotels? Do they travel with a budget in mind or are they able to be more extravagant? What is their favorite spot on earth?

-What are your hero’s finances like? How much do they make? How much do they have in savings? What about a 401K or a stock portfolio? What’s their net worth? Do they have credit card debt? A mortgage? A car loan? What do they scrimp on and what do they splurge on?

-How do they take their coffee? Steak? Eggs? What kind of bread do they like? What do they like on a sandwich? A pizza?

-How would your hero spend an extra $100? How about $1,000? $10,000? $100,000? What if they won the lottery? What would they do?

-How do they feel about marriage? Divorce? Do they want kids? Have kids? How many? What would they name their kids? How do they feel about day care, nannies, or stay-at-home moms?

-What does your hero listen to in the car? Or on their iPod? What’s on their favorite playlist? What radio stations do they have on their pre-set buttons?

-Does your hero work a lot of overtime? Do they get to work early, late, or right on time? Do they like their boss? Their coworkers? Their assistant?

-What is the first thing your hero does when he or she walks through the door after work?

-What would your hero eat for dinner at an expensive restaurant? What about a diner? A fast-food place? What do they eat on a normal night? What would they eat if calories and health weren’t an issue and they could have exactly what they wanted?

-What habits does your hero have? What would someone observing them notice? Do they constantly apply chapstick? Bite their nails? Blow their nose? Tuck their hair behind their ears? Lick their lips? Sigh?

-How does your hero walk? Quickly? Slowly? Do they take careful, short steps or long confident strides? Do they look up, or keep their head bowed? Do they have a bounce in their step?

-How tall is your hero? How much do they weigh? What size do they wear? What is their body type? Do they have big hands? Big feet? What are they self-conscious about? What would they change? Have they ever had plastic surgery? Do they want it? What do they want to change?

-Does your hero have any tattoos? Why? What about piercings? Would they ever consider getting one? What would they get?

-Has your hero ever been confused about their sexuality? If they are straight, how do they feel about homosexuality? If they are gay, when did they first know? Did they have heterosexual relationships first? When did they come out of the closet? How did people react?

-What has their love life been like? What kind of relationships have they had? How many people have they slept with? What did each relationship mean to them? Have they ever had their heart broken? What’s the story there? Did they ever break anyone’s heart? What do they say they are looking for in a partner? What do they really need?

-What political party does your hero belong to? Are they active in politics or do they not pay attention? Who did they vote for in the last election? The one before that? What do they think about the war in Iraq? Afghanistan? The military in general? What about healthcare? Taxes? The bailout and stimulus plans? What party will they vote for in the next election? Would they ever consider running for office themselves?